Wim Blom has exhibited internationally.
His work is represented in public collections such as the
National Gallery of Canada, the South African National
Gallery, in numerous corporate collections and in private
collections in Canada, France, Great Britain, Germany,
Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland,
South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the U.S.A.
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(†) Willem Adriaan Blom 22nd Feb.1927 - 18th Jan.2021
Wim passed away in his sleep on Salt Spring Island, British
Columbia, Canada. OBITUARY
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Voted Best Private Art Gallery of Vancouver
Realism in painting is a movement that is deeply divided
in its outlook. It embraces many contradictory
aspirations and has generated much controversy even in
its own ranks. For these reasons, Wim Blom, who paints
in a style which must be called Realist, mistrusts fashion
and the vagaries of critical taste. He has succeeded in
maintaining his independence from the principal trends
that can at present be included under the heading of
Realism.
Wim Blom’s work is conceived for private contemplation
and makes it special appeal to those who wish to savour
at close range the artist’s particular way with form,
colour, texture and light. If the size of his work invites
intimate, meditative inspection, his subject matter -
single objects, still life, interiors - extend an analogous
invitation. In this patient, selected and passionate
search, the realism of his paintings is faithful to the
object represented, but it transcends reality and is
submerged beneath poetic transformation.
Wim Blom’s training as an art historian has made him
acutely aware of history, it’s meaning and heritage. The
methods of historical research instilled in him have
blended with the connoisseurship he acquired as the
research curator at the National Gallery of Canada. This
conjunction informs his work as a painter.
His paintings and drawings represent a quiet,
unpublished vanguard of their own, so radically steeped
in tradition as to be new and offers a fresh artistic
experience. In the context of contemporary art it is
fascinating to see how Wim Blom’s exploration of the
past produces results with an emphatically modern
flavour.
Wim Blom
WB-07-J-2023
“His timeless paintings and drawings resonate with people, so
much so that when they purchase one, they tend to want to
keep it; they enjoy having it around and never tire of its
image. Very few of his pieces come up for auction”.
In 1957 Wim was awarded the
Dante Alighieri Gold medal by the
Fine Arts Society of
Florence.
Our 24 page high gloss coffee table photo book, 8.5’X 11”
is now available for purchase. $52.95
Wim was born in Germiston, South Africa on the 22nd of
February 1927.
Wim received his Fine Arts MA degrees from the University of
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and did post-graduate work at
the University of Edinburg, Scotland, and at the University of
Perugia, Italy. Wim Blom taught at the University of the
Witwatersrand and at the Johannesburg School of Art.
Trained as an art historian he held the post of Research Curator
at the National Gallery of Canada and subsequently that of
Curatorial Administrator.
After leaving the museum world Wim dedicated himself
exclusively to painting. For a number of years he lived in Italy
and Spain. Wim Blom travelled extensively and was greatly
impressed by the work of ccontemporary Italian painters,
especially that of Mario Carletti, Armando Pizzinato and Mario
Sironi. Most of his time, however most of his time was spend at
the University of Perugia.(Wim was a inveterate reader in
several languages.) After another year of academic work at
Edinburgh Univeristy he returned to his homeland in 1951.
Wim Blom’s work is represented in public collections, such as
the National Gallery of Canada, the South African National
Gallery, The Royal Scottish Academy and the Transvaal Art
Society in South Africa and in numerous corporate and private
collections in Canada, France, Great Britain, Germany, Israel,
Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South
Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.S.A. Wim Blom has
exhibited internationally.